walgreenshttp://www.maclife.com/taxonomy/term/13102/all
enMorning Report: CVS Shuns Apple Pay, Yosemite Adoption, iPhone 6 Wows Koreahttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/morning_report_cvs_shuns_apple_pay_yosemite_adoption_iphone_6_wows_korea
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/apple_pay_620px.png" alt="Apple Pay" width="620" height="300" /></p><p>Judging from our Twitter feed, all anyone wanted to talk about this weekend was how drugstore chains CVS and Rite Aid have gone out of their way to prevent iPhone 6 owners from making purchases with their new handsets — and there may be a very good reason for this, as outlined in our Monday Morning Report. We also take a look at OS X Yosemite adoption and how iPhone 6 preorders are trumping Samsung on their own turf.</p><h3>CVS, Rite Aid Block Apple Pay in Favor of Competing Service</h3><p>Last week, Rite Aid made headlines after shutting down near-field communication (NFC) payment terminals at retail stores coast to coast in an effort to block Apple Pay — a move that also prevented competing platforms Google Wallet and SoftCard (formerly ISIS) from working. The plot thickened on Saturday, when <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/25/cvs-disabling-nfc-apple-pay/" target="_blank">MacRumors reported</a> that competing drugstore chain CVS had also done the same, despite Apple Pay having worked earlier in the week.<br /><br />It's important to note that neither CVS nor Rite Aid are on Apple's official list of approved retailers, which includes competitor Walgreens. But what's surprising about the move is how aggressively these retailers are going out of their way to make life difficult for iPhone 6 owners — many of whom have taken to social media over the weekend in a virtual boycott of the two chains, while throwing favor to Apple Pay supporter Walgreens.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/technology/personaltech/2-drug-chains-disable-apple-pay-as-a-rival-makes-plans-.html?_r=1" target="_blank">In a statement to <em>The New York Times </em>on Sunday</a>, a Rite Aid spokeswoman confirmed the retailer "does not currently accept Apple Pay," noting the drugstore chain was “still in the process of evaluating our mobile payment options.” Representatives from CVS declined to comment, while a MasterCard executive noted the obvious, that both chains "have been accepting contactless payments for quite a long time."<br /><br />CVS and Rite Aid are members of Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), a consortium spearheaded by Walmart, Best Buy, and other retailers who not-so coincidentally have failed to get behind Apple Play — and reportedly are forbidden from doing so as long as they're members of MCX. Instead, these retailers are backing CurrentC, which uses a mobile app (already available from the App Store, but invite only for now), a connected checking account or retailer-branded credit card, and QR codes at checkout — a forthcoming system which is being widely criticized as less secure and far more complicated than Apple Pay.</p><h3>Mac Users Adopting OS X Yosemite Slightly Faster Than Mavericks</h3><p>OS X Yosemite has only been in the wild for about a week and a half, but <a href="http://chitika.com/insights/2014/yosemite-one-week" target="_blank">new data from online advertising network Chitika</a> suggests Mac owners may be a little more eager to download and install the free operating system update than they were when OS X Mavericks was released around the same time last week. Based on analytics data from October 16 (release date) through October 22, Yosemite has reached an installed base of 12.8 percent, a modest 0.4 percent bump over Mavericks during the same timeframe last year — and both updates eclipse the previous OS X Mountain Lion, which had reached a meager 5.6 percent of users during the first week.</p><h3>iPhone 6 Preorders Eclipse Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in Korea</h3><p><a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/10/27/koreans-snap-up-new-iphones-in-presales/" target="_blank"><em>The Wall Street Journal</em> today reported</a> that Apple's latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models are being greeted with open arms in Korea, the home turf of rival Samsung, where analysts are predicting preorders totaling "roughly 100,000" from three carriers who began offering the devices on Friday. That number is noteworthy because Samsung's rival Galaxy Note 4 racked up an estimated 30,000 preorders during the first weekend last month — perhaps more evidence that Apple's shift to larger displays is going to have a detrimental effect on the world's largest maker of Android devices.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="https://twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/morning_report_cvs_shuns_apple_pay_yosemite_adoption_iphone_6_wows_korea#commentsNewsApple PayCurrentCCVSiphone 6iPhone 6 PlusKoreaMCXMorning ReportNFCOS X YosemiteRite AidSamsungwalgreensiPhoneMacMon, 27 Oct 2014 12:35:56 +0000J.R. Bookwalter20850 at http://www.maclife.comMorning Report: Walgreens Preps for Apple Pay, Boost Mobile Lands iPhone 6http://www.maclife.com/article/news/morning_report_walgreens_preps_apple_pay_boost_mobile_lands_iphone_6
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/apple_pay_620px.png" alt="Apple Pay" width="620" height="300" /></p><p>Apple's next media event is right around the corner, and iPhone 6 owners have more to be excited about than the possibility of new iPads or Macs, thanks to the arrival of Apple Pay as part of a free software update. Our Monday Morning Report looks at when we might expect the service to kick off (along with a potential alternative coming next year), as well as the iPhone 6's arrival on Boost Mobile later this week.</p><h3>Walgreens Apparently Gearing Up for Oct. 18 Apple Pay Launch</h3><p>Apple's next media event is scheduled for this Thursday, October 16, and there's new evidence to suggest that the previously announced Apple Pay feature could become available to iPhone 6 users as early as two days later. <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/11/walgreens-apple-pay-october-18/" target="_blank">MacRumors reported Saturday</a> that an internal memo to Walgreens employees specifically mentions gearing up for the launch of Apple Pay on Saturday, October 18 — only two days after Apple's media event.<br /><br />Walgreens is among the initial launch partners for Apple Pay, which also includes McDonald's, Macy's, Staples, and other retailers. Last week, Apple Pay banking partner USAA hinted that support wouldn't come until November 7, although it appears the official launch could arrive later this week, presumably with the arrival of iOS 8.1 to enable the payment feature.</p><h3>iPhone 6 Arriving Friday at Boost Mobile with $100 Discount</h3><p><a href="http://9to5mac.com/2014/10/10/boost-mobile-iphone-6/" target="_blank">9to5Mac is reporting</a> that Sprint prepaid brand Boost Mobile will be adding the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to their product lineup starting this Friday, October 17, and the carrier is slashing $100 off the retail price of both devices, similar to current product offerings for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. That means a 16GB iPhone 6 can be had for only $549.99, while the equivalent capacity for the iPhone 6 Plus will ring up at only $100 more. Boost plans to carry <a href="http://www.boostmobile.com/shop/phones/apple-iphone/compare/" target="_blank">all storage capacities on their website</a>, with unlimited talk and text plans featuring 1GB of high-speed 3G/4G data starting at only $35 per month.</p><h3>iPhone-Connected Final Creates Disposable Credit Card Numbers</h3><p>Think Apple Pay, Coin, and Plastc are the last word on the future of the credit card? Not so fast says <a href="https://getfinal.com" target="_blank">Final</a>, a new service launching early next year that promises to deliver "a credit card built for the 21st century." Featuring a souped-up plastic card with chip-and-pin security built in, Final takes an approach similar to Apple Pay by generating unique credit card numbers for each transaction, along with an iPhone app that allows users full control over spending habits. No word on how much Final will cost, but interested parties can sign up to be among the first to use it.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author,<a href="https://twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank"> J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/morning_report_walgreens_preps_apple_pay_boost_mobile_lands_iphone_6#commentsNewsApple PayBoost Mobilecredit cardsFinaliOS 8.1iphone 6iPhone 6 Plusmobile paymentsMorning ReportwalgreensiPhoneMon, 13 Oct 2014 12:30:00 +0000J.R. Bookwalter20773 at http://www.maclife.comWalgreens, CVS Reportedly Ready to Adopt Apple's Mobile Payment Systemhttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/walgreens_cvs_reportedly_ready_adopt_apples_mobile_payment_system
<!--paging_filter--><p>After so long stuck in the mire, Apple's mobile payment system appears to be taking its final form quickly. <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/report_new_details_emerge_rumored_iphone_mobile_payments" target="_blank">Just yesterday</a> we heard how the Cupertino giant had managed to snag lower credit card processing fees for the service from the likes of MasterCard and Visa, and now word's coming in from <a href="http://recode.net/2014/09/05/apple-iphones-mobile-payments-expected-to-include-cvs-and-walgreens/" target="_blank">Re/code </a>that retailers Walgreens and CVS plan to accept purchases made with the system once it's released.</p><p>As per usual with these things, the source remains unidentified. But if true, the implications of the agreement could be massive. As the report says, "With more than 15,000 locations combined, acceptance by the two chains will give Apple a huge footprint if all of their stores are involved."</p><p><img src="/files/u334114/2014/09/iphone-touch-id-logo_0.jpg" width="620" height="333" /></p><p>Retailers were rumored to be working with Apple when the news about the credit card processing fees surfaced, but at the time retailer Nordstrom was the only name identified, leading to worries that the service would only be available at high-end locations. The inclusion of Walgreens and CVS, however, suggests that it might be available almost anywhere.</p><p>The report also provides some insight into how the service will work in tandem with the NFC (near-field communications) chip. Essentially, you'll wave your iPhone in front of a receiver or tap your screen when you're ready to pay — an action that sounds roughly similar to using mobile boarding passes at airports. Yet, NFC may not be the only technology used with the service.</p><p>"Sources caution that Apple's payment system may in some cases employ additional wireless technologies either in conjunction with, or in place of, NFC," the article says. That's apparently when Touch ID will come in to play, allowing customers an extra measure of security.</p><p>Apple is expected to reveal the service at Tuesday's long-awaited event.</p><p><em>Follow this article's writer, <a href="https://twitter.com/LeifJohnson" target="_blank">Leif Johnson</a>, on Twitter.</em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/walgreens_cvs_reportedly_ready_adopt_apples_mobile_payment_system#commentsNewsCVSiOS 8iphonemobile paymentsTouch IDwalgreensSat, 06 Sep 2014 00:00:35 +0000Leif Johnson20589 at http://www.maclife.comFree App Friday: Walgreenshttp://www.maclife.com/article/columns/free_app_friday_walgreens
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u307916/2012/Online/walgreensthumb.jpg" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" /></p><p>After a short hiatus, Free App Friday has returned to fulfill wishes. Each week we've promised to bring you something you never knew you needed, but could no longer live without. We bring you an app that could only be unlocked to its true potential with the power of iOS 6. This is Walgreens.&nbsp;</p><p>Despite looking like the dedicated app of the Washington Nationals, Walgreens is surprisingly stacked, bringing Passbook integration for your Balance Rewards card and a whole other host of features. The ability to refill prescriptions via the iPhone's camera to scan previous labels is decidedly space age, and honestly cool. If you head to the photo counter, you can quickly load photos from your iPhone or Facebook to be made into prints.</p><p>Have you ever worried that you're too far from a Walgreens? Have no fear, the Walgreens app will locate the nearest store. Coupons can be loaded directly from your iOS device, and the weekly ads that are in your mailbox right now (seriously, I'll bet you 50 Monopoly dollars) can be quickly accessed with many a tree spared.</p><p>With pill alerts, QuickPrints, and even a clinic locator, this powerful little app may not seem like a thrill-a-minute but it delivers and does so with swagger.</p><p><strong><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/walgreens/id335364882?mt=8" target="_blank">Download Walgreens</a></strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/columns/free_app_friday_walgreens#commentsApp StoreAppsColumnsfree app fridayfree appsPassbookwalgreensiPadiPhoneiPodGalleryFri, 05 Oct 2012 16:00:53 +0000Cody Cardarelli15238 at http://www.maclife.com